Boy got gun during visit with mother

PORT ORCHARD, Wash. (AP) — Crying and wearing an orange jail jumpsuit, a 9-year-old boy appeared Thursday before a juvenile judge who will ultimately determine whether the third-grader will face criminal charges in a school shooting that left a young classmate critically wounded.

Authorities say the boy brought a .45-caliber handgun he got from his mother’s house to an elementary school in Bremerton on Wednesday, and the weapon discharged just before classes let out. The boy appeared at a preliminary hearing Thursday afternoon.

During the hearing, the boy sat next to his uncle and father, who put his hand on the child’s back and rubbed it. A $50,000 bail was set and the boy would be released to his legal guardian, his uncle, if it is met.

An Armin Jahr Elementary School student talks with a police officer Wednesday in front of the school in Bremerton, Wash. An 8-year-old girl was shot in the abdomen at the elementary school and one of her classmates was detained, authorities said.

Todd Dowell of the Kitsap County prosecutor’s juvenile division said under state law children between 8 and 12 years old can face charges, if a court determines the child has the capacity to understand an act is wrong. A capacity hearing in this case will be held in two weeks.

Officials with the the Kitsap County Juvenile Department said both the child’s mother and father have extensive criminal records. Bremerton police Lt. Peter Fisher would not discuss whether authorities were investigating any adults in connection with the Wednesday shooting or release further information about the investigation.

The boy’s classmate, 8-year-old Amina Kocer-Bowman, remained in critical condition at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle after undergoing surgery for a gunshot wound.

The boy brought a gun to Armin Jahr Elementary, where it discharged from his backpack, piercing through and hitting Kocer-Bowman in the abdomen and arm, according to authorities. On Wednesday, Bremerton police characterized the shooting as accidental.

The boy was being investigated for unlawful possession of a gun, bringing a dangerous weapon to school and third-degree assault charges. Authorities believe he came into possession of the weapon during a visitation with his mother over the weekend, according to charging documents released Thursday.